The present application generally relates to a technology for efficiently and effectively carrying out operations through a display apparatus, such as a liquid crystal display (LLD), electro-luminescence (EL) display, and the like.
In configuring a touch panel allowing an operation to be carried out by merely touching the display screen of a display apparatus such as a TV receiver, the touch panel separated from the display apparatus is superposed on the display screen.
As a typical configuration employing such a separated touch panel, there is a structure including a transparent and thin input detection apparatus stuck on the display screen. As means for detecting a touch on the display screen, a touch panel has been put to practical use. The touch panel put to practical use can be, among others, a touch panel of a resistance film type for sensing a change in pressure or an electrostatic capacitance type for sensing an electrostatic electrical signal, which changes in accordance with contact with a human body. However, these touch panels are basically capable of detecting the position of only a point on the surface but incapable of detecting the positions of a plurality of points at the same time. Thus, an operation inputting apparatus employing such a touch panel generally adopts a method for recognizing a command issued by the operator as a command based on a touched point of a method for recognizing an operation command issued by the operator as a command based on a change of the position of a point with the lapse of time.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-336597 discloses an operation-input accepting apparatus for accepting an input representing a movement of a command position in a two-dimensional direction on a display screen, recognizing the substance of an operation command issued by the operator on the basis of changes of the coordinates of the display position from the start of the movement to the end of the movement and carrying out a process according to the recognized substance of the command.